Playa Blanca

Originally a sandy-floored south-coast fishing village, happily gazing out on neighbouring Fuerteventura, Playa Blanca has become almost unrecognisable in the past decade. Though still the quieter, smaller, more upmarket cousin of Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote's southernmost (and sunniest) resort's sprawl of dive schools, cafes, restaurants, hotels and apartment complexes – albeit largely low-rise ones – now stretches almost to the tip of the Papagayo nature reserve. The activity-packed resort has a fairly upscale feel, especially around the swish Marina Rubicón at the eastern end of town, and the seafront promenade is a pleasant spot, as is pale-blonde Playa Blanca itself, though for many there's something undeniably soulless about the whole place. You'll find a hint of local character around the church, where the original fishing village began.